The global frozen foods market is presently valued at nearly $ 161 billion, and is expected to rise at a steady CAGR of 4% to attain an estimated worth of nearly $ 240 billion by 2031.

 

Busy life schedule is influencing consumers to shift their dietary preferences towards ready-to-eat food products. Hence, frozen foods have become an important part of modern diet.

 

Freezing or refrigeration allows consumers to have access to foods which were either unavailable or available only during particular season. Also, freezing helps the consumers to preserve their food products for future use.

 

Availability of wide range of frozen foods products in different food categories is the factor driving the global frozen foods market. Other driving factors are changing customer purchasing pattern and increasing urban population.

 

In the recent rise of vegan and plant-based food, demand for frozen vegan food has also gone up.

•    To cater to this demand, plant-based frozen food brand Tattooed Chef exceeded its distribution goal of 10,000 stores, and is on a charge to become a major provider of plant-based frozen foods. The company also has plans to expand into refrigerated and ambient products soon.

•    On August 17, 2021, Real Good Foods Company, a known name in the frozen foods industry, announced the launch of seven new frozen products in 1,500 Kroger stores across the United States. These new entrées are high in protein, low carb, grain-free, and gluten-free, and hence, help consumers stay on track with their health goals and enjoy a good meal at the same time. This is an addition to the line of entrées that the company launched back in 2020.

 

Additionally, increasing number of working women is driving the global frozen foods market. Majority of working women in the western countries don’t cook food at home.

 

Europe has the largest market share for frozen foods, followed by North America and Asia Pacific. In Asia Pacific, economic developments paired with increasing urbanization and disposable income are some factors driving the frozen foods market in the Asia-Pacific region. Owing to these factors, Asia Pacific is expected to witness highest growth in the forecasted period.

 

The global frozen foods market is currently being spearheaded by ConAgra Foods Inc., Maple Leaf Foods Inc., General Mills, BRF SA (Brazil), Tyson Foods Inc.

 

BRF SA (Brazil), and Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd. (India), are some of the companies operating at regional level and dominating the market.

 

The frozen foods market has gained an impressive impetus owing to increase in demand for convenient ways of life in this modern fast-paced age. This intelligence study on the frozen foods market has placed the market value at around $ 161 billion.

 

Revenue is expected to increase 1.4 times by 2031 with the market expanding at a CAGR of 4% over the next ten years. The frozen foods industry also depicts an absolute dollar opportunity worth $ 77.6 billion by the end of the decade.

Guwahati, June 16 (KNN) To promote agriculture & horticulture products in North East region of India, a buyer-seller meet was organised by Invest India at the city hotel in Guwahati on Wednesday.

 

The National Investment Promotion & Facilitation Agency partnered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the DoNER ministry to host this event.

 

Key agendas that were discussed in the meeting included high logistic cost and the difficulties faced by farmers in obtaining organic certifications for their produce.

 

The keynote address was presented virtually by the DoNER Secretary Lok Ranjan.

 

NEHHDC MD Brig RK Singh, Invest India NE head Dr. Geetima Krishna, Advisor (BIT) NEC R Lalrodingi and NERAMAC MD Manoj Kumar Das were the main speakers at the conference.

 

A high-level team from Arunachal Pradesh, led by APIDFCL Chairman Wanglong Rajkumar and Trade & Commerce Secretary Hage Tari, APIDFCL vice-chairman Boken Kino and Trade and Commerce Director Sonyung, participated in the meet.

 

Eight sellers and producers from the region showcased their agri-horti , handlooms and handicraft products.20 buyers from across the country also participated in the meet.

 

During the meet, a B2G programme was organized wherein interaction from buyers to growers regarding selling and buying of the products was held. 

New Delhi, June 16 (UNI) India and Tanzania, in eastern Africa, held the second round of Foreign Office Consultations today in New Delhi, during which both sides agreed to explore possibilities of investment in health, education, port development and agriculture sector.

 

The discussions were led on the Indian side by Puneet R Kundal, Joint Secretary (E&SA), Ministry of External Affairs and on the Tanzanian side by Caesar C. Waitara, Director (Asia & Australasia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania.

 

The consultations reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, economic, trade & investment, defence, cultural, people to people, and other areas of mutual interest. 

Multilateral and regional issues including co-operation in UN, East Africa Community (EAC), South African Development Cooperation (SADC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) were also discussed, an official statement said.

 

Both sides expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade, which touched US$ 4.5 billion for 2021-22.

 

India is one of Tanzania’s biggest trading partners and among the top investors in Tanzania. Both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various sectors and explore possibilities of investment in health, education, port development and agriculture sector.

 

Tanzania is also a major development partner of India and India has extended six lines of Credit worth over US $ 1.1 billion to Tanzania, especially in the sector of city water supply and management. Indian side reiterated its commitment to continue the development partnership with Tanzania through loans, grants and other mechanisms.

 

Both sides also agreed to continue high level political exchanges and regular meetings of the Joint institutional mechanisms to keep the partnership vibrant and mutually beneficial.

The Consultations were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at a mutually convenient date in Dar es Salaam.

This was perhaps the 4th time (twice before in London and once in Hong Kong) that the producers joined hands together and participated in the Show that was sponsored by a government authority under the ‘Wines of India’ banner. Earlier, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) used to invite producers to hand over their wines to showcase at various food shows in which APEDA participated but the response was generally lukewarm.

 

APEDA has nevertheless conducted several workshops and wine tasting events at various international trade fairs for creating awareness about the potential of Indian wines.

 

This was perhaps the first time that APEDA rented the whole pavilion and offered it as an Indian pavilion exclusively for wines and opened doors to 10 producers to showcase their wines. It was also the first time that fruit wines and meads were included in the repertoire, indicating the government’s recognition of fruit wines as cousins of (grape) wines in an international show.  

 

The event was organised in conjunction with the All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA) with its President, Jagdish Holkar also in attendance. He said, ‘Indian wines will work very well in Europe, especially in Indian restaurants. This B2B event has been successful and we must participate regularly in such shows to make a dent. We hope to be back in London next year.’

 

Dr. Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA said, ‘Under the umbrella of APEDA we have brought these 10 wine exporters. Our objective was to showcase Indian wines and register India’s identity as a producer of quality wines. Indian wines are already being exported to many countries. England being one of the important importing countries, we have participated in this Show this year. APEDA represents 700+ products for exports, one of which is wine. We have plans for promotion of such products in various markets.’

 

Although the show has been losing its importance internationally over the years and is shrinking, our participants were very pleased with the attendance at the Indian pavilion. Ashwin Rodrigues, owner of Good Drop Cellars says, ‘the reaction to the B2B show seemed lukewarm, perhaps because there was an entry ticket of £20 for the first time. But the Indian pavilion was rocking with many visitors surprised that India also produces wines. An agency specialising in choreography presented Bollywood dances at regular intervals and attracted people to our pavilion. Indian wines have a great potential and it must be exploited.’

 

Kunal Chugh, Owner of KLC (Vigin Hills) and one of the participants showcasing Indian wines, informs delWine, ‘We have received amazing feedback for our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Two Masters of Wine who tasted them even made a Statement calling them world’s first tropical wines with unusual characteristics!’

 

The Big three were present with Aditya Sekhri and their National Sales Head Nitin Verma in attendance from Fratelli. Grover Zampa had also sent their National Marketing Manager Rishi Besant. Sula Vineyards, which has admittedly reduced their focus on exports, supported the initiative nevertheless, by arranging the wines to be supplied by their local distributors according to other participants at the Show.

 

Resvera (Jamun wines) and Hill Zill (‘Arka’ Honey wines) were the producers present in the fruit wine category and were very happy with the extremely positive response.

 

The Indian High Commission was very supportive of the participation and even organised a reception for the participant with the High Commissioner offering to help the producers in export promotion activities after the Show. In fact, Mr. Sujit Ghosh, the Deputy High Commissioner, took keen interest and asked the AIWPA to make a calendar of activities for the whole year to help them take things forward with assurance of active support.

 

Indian Wine industry has grown at compound annual growth rate of 14 per cent during 2010 to 2017 making it the fastest growing industry under alcoholic beverage in the country. APEDA’s efforts to focus on wine exports are laudable and one hopes they will work closely now with the Indian wine industry to promote them as a cohesive unit.

Maharashtra has set a record for itself by producing 137.28 lakh tonnes of sugar in 2021-22, which is nearly 31 lakh tonnes more than the previous year, a senior official said on Thursday.

 

The state also broke another record of crushing 1,320.31 lakh tonnes of sugarcane this year, he said.

 

'The state has produced 137.28 lakh tonnes of sugar this year, which is 30.88 lakh tonnes more than the previous year. With this, the crushing season in the state has now ended,' state Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad told.

 

The sugar produced in Maharashtra this year is so much that it stands next to Brazil in terms of the production, he said.

 

'The crushing season of Maharashtra lasted longer this year after an all-time high production of sugarcane. The sugarcane crushing season which used to be around 90-120 days, went up to 240 days in some parts of the state this year. The average crushing season went up to 173 days, which was 140 the previous year,' he said.

 

This year, around 200 sugar mills were involved in crushing sugarcane across the state. With the crushing capacity of 8 lakh tonnes a day, these mills crushed 1,320.31 lakh tonnes of sugarcane this year. Last year, this figure stood at 1,013.64 lakh tonnes. So this year, the mills crushed nearly 306.67 lakh tonnes more sugarcane than the previous year, Gaikwad said.

 

The total sugar production of the state last year (2020-21) was 106.40 lakh tonnes. This year nine additional sugar mills (total 199) were involved in the process vis-a-vis 190 the previous year, the top official said.

 

The region-wise sugar production of the state (in lakh tonnes) this year is as follows: Kolhapur 30.04, Pune 29.12, Solapur 28.43, Ahmednagar 20.07, Aurangabad 12.92, Nanded 15.32, Amravati 0.96, Nagpur 0.38.

India is the world's second-largest fruit producer, with a wide range of fruits grown in various geographical zones. You've probably heard of intellectual property rights like Copyright, Patent, and Trademark. In the same way, the holders of a Geographical Indication Tag have identical rights and protection.

 

India is the world's second-largest producer of fruit, with a wide range of fruits grown in various geographical zones.

 

You've probably heard of intellectual property rights like Copyright, Patent, and Trademark. In the same way, the holders of a Geographical Indication Tag have identical rights and protection. A 'GI' right allows those who have the right to use the indicator to restrict it from being used by anyone whose product does not meet the required standards.

 

According to experts, the mark protects the manufacturer of genuine products that attract premium prices in both domestic and foreign markets. T C James, President of the National Intellectual Property Organization (NIPO), stated, 'After the GI is granted, no other company can use the name to advertise similar items. It gives customers peace of mind about the product's legitimacy '.

 

Eathomozhy Tall Coconut, Himsagar Mango, Galgal fruit, Laxman Bhog Mango, Arunachal Orange, Navara Rice, Kangra Tea, Palakkadan Matta Rice, Coorg Green Cardamom, Mysore Malligae, and Pokkali Rice are among India's Geographical Indications under Agriculture Sector.

 

Indian Fruits with GI Tags

1.Nanjanagud Banana – Karnataka

 

Nanjanagud Banana is a type of banana that is grown in the Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts of Karnataka and is known for its distinct flavor and scent. It is included under geographical indicators.

 

2. Allahabad Surkha Guava – Uttar Pradesh

 

Allahabad Surkha is a type of guava that is grown throughout Allahabad and is recognized for its sweet and robust flavor. The fruits are also well-known for medicinal benefits.

 

3. Shahi Litchi -Bihar

 

Shahi litchi fruit from Bihar has a Geographical Indication (GI) marking, and Muzaffarpur is known for Shahi lichi, which is mostly grown in Muzaffarpur's districts.

 

4. Gir Kesar – Gujarat

 

Gir Kesar Mango is a fruit grown in the Girnar foothills that were designated as a geographical indication in 2011. The Kesar mango is one of India's most popular varieties of mango, as well as one of the most expensive.

 

5. Banaganapalle Mangoes – Andhra Pradesh

 

Banaganapalle Mangoes are grown at Banaganapalle, in the Kurnool district, and are recognized as a geographical indication in Andhra Pradesh under the horticulture products category.

 

6. Nashik Grapes – Maharashtra

 

Nashik grapes are grown in the Nashik area, which is recognized as India's grape capital. It is the country's top grape producer and has been designated as a Geographical Indication.

 

7. Nagpur Orange – Maharashtra

 

Nagpur Orange crop grows twice a year and is harvested from the month of December. The city is famous for the variety of oranges grown there.

 

8. Mahabaleshwar Strawberry – Maharashtra

Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, as well as raspberry, mulberry, and gooseberry, are produced on Mahabaleshwar's hilly slopes. Mahabaleshwar strawberries were granted a geographical indicator designation in 2010.

 

9. Solapur Pomegranate – Maharashtra

 

Solapur Pomegranate is one of Maharashtra's seven GI-designated agricultural goods, along with Waigaon Turmeric, Jalgaon Brinjal, and Purandar Fig.

 

10. Ratnagiri Alphonso – Maharashtra

 

The Ratnagiri Alphonso mango is one of India's best-known fruit kinds, growing primarily in the Konkan districts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad.

 

11. Tezpur Litchi – Assam

 

Tezpur Litchi from Lichu Pukhuri in Tezpur town and Porowa has been designated as a Geographical Indication, together with ginger from Karbi's Singhasan Hill.

 

12. Beed Custard Apple – Maharashtra

 

Custard apples, also known as sitaphal, are grown in Maharashtra's Beed area and have been designated as Geographical Indications.

 

13. Purandar Fig (Anjeer) – Maharashtra

 

Purandar figs are mentioned in Maharashtra's Geographical Identification as being grown in Gurholi village along with custard apples and pomegranates.

 

14.Banarasi Langra – Uttar Pradesh

 

The Banarasi Langra mango is grown predominantly in Banaras, Northern India, and is well known in the worldwide market for its distinct flavor and canning capabilities.

 

15. Kiwi Fruit- Arunachal Pradesh

 

Kiwi Fruits are grown in Arunachal Pradesh and It is the largest kiwi producing state in India.

India’s agricultural and processed food product exports will continue to surge in the current fiscal after a record shipment valued at $25.6 billion in 2021-22 because of global demand for the agricultural commodities, said Madhaiyaan Angamuthu, chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA).

 

Demand for agricultural products from India is experiencing a surge in many markets despite logistical problems such as freight costs and container shortages, he noted. 'Demand for Indian products is rising and utmost efforts are being made to maintain an uninterrupted supply chain,' Angamuthu told FE.

 

Rice exports in 2021-22 were worth more than $9.65 billion, while other key commodities like sugar were worth $4.6 billion, buffalo meat was for $3.3 billion, wheat was worth $2.2 billion, and fruits and vegetables were worth $1.4 billion, according to the APEDA basket.

 

Despite the government banning wheat exports in May and permitting only shipments with a letter of credit and those cleared under bilateral agreements, Angamuthu predicted that growth in agricultural product exports would continue.

 

'Our wheat exports have only increased in the last two years, and we have never been a major player in the global market for the crop,' he added, 'but we have been the world's largest rice exporter in recent decades.' In 2021-22, India exported a record 7 million tonnes (MT) of wheat for $2 billion, compared to just 2.1 MT worth $0.55 billion in the previous year.

 

On the possibility of placing export limitations on agricultural products, the APEDA chairman explained that a macro environment study allows each country to identify its internal and surplus requirements, and then make decisions accordingly.

 

India's agricultural exports, which include rice, fruits, and vegetables, as well as marine, tea, and coffee, reached a new high of $50 billion in 2021-22. APEDA's products accounted for 52 % of India's agricultural exports.

 

In addition, the government is working on a matrix for 50 agricultural products with export potential.

 

Pesticide residues, traceability requirements, bans and restrictions on exports, market access, and other factors are one of the major restraints faced by India's agricultural and processed food exports, according to the agri-export promotion body. In terms of traceability, the export promotion body has built up a system that has been applied for grapes, peanuts, horticultural goods, and other shipments, according to the requirements of importing countries.

 

For the first time, APEDA permitted exports of unique products to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including the Mishri variety of cherries and saffron, Mushkbudji fragrance rice from Kashmir valley, and Apricot from Kargil. In the same way, 'Bao-dhaan' from Assam's Brahmaputra valley was sold to the United States. Jamun was exported to the United Kingdom as an 'exotic' fruit from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

 

King Chilli from Nagaland was sold to the United Kingdom, Bhalia wheat from Gujarat to Kenya and Sri Lanka, sweet dish Mihidana from Bardhaman, West Bengal to Bahrain, Madurai Malli (Jasmine) from Tamil Nadu to the United States, and Marayoor jaggery from Kerala to the United Arab Emirates.

India is insisting that countries that import wheat from it give a written assurance against re-export and use the grains only for human consumption.

 

On Wednesday, the UAE ordered a four-month suspension in exports and re-exports of wheat and wheat flour originating from India following a decision taken last week. Other countries which are importing wheat from India are putting in place a similar dispensation.

 

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Singapore have been identified as destinations for wheat shipments based on a set of parameters devised by a government panel.

 

In a statement, the ministry of economy of the UAE said the decision has been taken in view of the international developments that have affected trade flows, and in 'appreciation of the solid and strategic relations that bind the UAE and India', especially after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries.

 

It added that India had approved exports of wheat to the UAE for domestic consumption.

 

The restriction on export and re-export apply to all wheat varieties— hard, ordinary, and soft wheat — and wheat flour, the ministry said. It added that the companies wishing to export and re-export wheat and wheat flour varieties of Indian origin, which were imported into the country before May 13 must submit a request to the ministry to obtain permission to export outside of the UAE. 'They must submit all documents and files that help verify the data regarding the shipment in terms of its origin, date of transaction, and any other documents that the ministry may require in this regard,' the statement said.

 

Soon after announcing the strict export curb on wheat the Indian government had said it did not want the wheat to go in an unregulated manner to places where it might get just hoarded or where it may not be used for the purpose which New Delhi was hoping it would be used for.

 

Earlier this month, Union food and commerce minister, Piyush Goyal had said that India has put a precondition that wheat exported at a government-to-government level should be used for domestic consumption only and not exported to third countries.

India, along with 46 developing and least-developed countries, has pushed for enhancing production and maintaining the price stability of food with least distortion to global markets, as the 164 members of the World Trade Organization on Tuesday entered the penultimate day of intense negotiations to reach an outcome.

 

The countries, as part of the G33, also insisted that it was important to maintain an 'open and predictable agricultural trade to ensure the continued flow of food, and agricultural products'.

 

They have sought expeditious resolution of a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security purposes and a special safeguard mechanism to buffer them against sudden price declines or against major import surges.

 

'We reaffirm the urgency and importance of maintaining an open and predictable agricultural trade to ensure the continued flow of food, and agricultural products, as well as inputs critical for food and agricultural production and supply chains,' the grouping said in its ministerial declaration.

 

'Global food prices are rising and there is a need to ensure public stockholding of food for all while retaining flexibility and policy space,' said an official.

 

The G33, African Group and the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) group have already submitted a joint proposal to the WTO in which they said a permanent solution for public stockholding should account for inflation and also be based on a recent reference price instead of an old one which is based on 1986-88 prices.

 

They have suggested a new methodology to calculate the subsidies by either accounting for 'excessive inflation' in the External Reference Price (ERP) or calculating the ERP based on the last five years' prices excluding the highest and the lowest entry for that product. ERP is the average price based on the base years 1986-88 and has not been revised for decades.

 

The official said negotiations were expected to go on till the wee hours in Geneva to get to a solution as developed countries were now pushing for new work programmes on the entire agriculture agenda.

 

The G33 emphasised that a 'universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory, equitable, and WTO-centred multilateral trading system is vital for global agricultural trade' and will continue to promote it.

 

The UAE has ordered a suspension of exports and re-exports of wheat and wheat flour originating from India for four months, the Gulf nation's ministry of economy said on Wednesday.

 

The move follows India banning the export of wheat last month to check the surge in local prices. With this, Indian wheat cannot be rooted to third countries via the UAE.

 

The ban, which the ministry called as 'moratorium', has been imposed effective from May 13 'in view of the international developments that have affected trade flows'.

 

India had on May 14 banned wheat exports except for those backed by already issued letters of credit (LCs) and to countries seeking to ensure food security. Since then, it has allowed shipments of 469,202 tonnes of wheat.

 

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy said the ban 'applies to all wheat varieties namely hard, ordinary and soft wheat and wheat flour.' In a statement said a moratorium has been imposed 'on the export and re-export of wheat and wheat flour originating from the Republic of India, including free zones, for a period of four months starting from May 13, 2022.'

 

This 'decision comes in view of the international developments that have affected trade flows, and in appreciation of the solid and strategic relations that bind the UAE and India, especially after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries and the Indian government's approval to export wheat to the UAE for domestic consumption.'

 

India and UAE had in February signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Trade Agreement (CEPA) to cut all tariffs on each other's goods and aims to increase their annual trade to USD 100 billion within five years.

 

The pact took effect on May 1.

 

'However, companies wishing to export/re-export wheat and wheat flour varieties of Indian origin, which were imported into the country before May 13, 2022, must submit a request to the Ministry to obtain permission to export outside of the UAE,' the Ministry said.

 

They must submit all documents and files that help verify the data regarding the shipment in terms of its origin, date of transaction, and any other documents that the Ministry may require.

 

The Ministry also indicated that in the case of wheat and wheat flour products of non-Indian origin, companies wishing to export/re-export it may do so after applying to the Ministry for export permission outside the country.

 

This application must also be supported by all documents and files that help verify the origin of the shipment to be exported/re-exported.

 

The Ministry noted that the export permit issued to companies is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance and must be submitted to the relevant customs department in order to complete the procedures for exporting the shipment out of the UAE.